Nocturne
by Lulu Nobody
Summary: Nothing could disrupt his concentration, something he prided himself in. Nothing, not even the little strangled cough from the corner of the room. Sephiroth-centric, with random character for killing purposes.


**Nocturne**

Hojo had loved classical piano. Although he loved science, he had another unexplainable love for piano. If the man could have indeed loved something, he would have been cheating on science, and she would have been angry. Of course, since Sephiroth had been a product of the mad scientists experimentation, the silver-haired man shared the same love.

A soft, contented smile tugged at the the ex-General's lips, eyes slipping shut as he swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the music drifting in the air. Moonlight filtered in through the jagged edges of the broken window, a pale silver that danced along the smooth, black surface of the concert grand. It spread its light along the ivory keys, causing them to shimmer silver in its wake. It flowed across the floor in broken ripples, throwing itself carelessly as a mass of silver, just barely reaching the other side of the room.

It was one thing Sephiroth knew that, if he had the chance, he would thank Hojo for. Through the man's somewhat perverse infatuation with the intrument, the little oily scientist and put in the time, effort, and money to have Sephiroth taught by the best there was. Even if Sephiroth had hated Hojo, and the scientist had taken imense joy from the prospect of his son learning piano, the silver-haired man could really care less; the music he could produce, could play, must have come straight from heaven.

He continued to play the instrument with gifted talent, slender fingers dancing over the black and white keys. Fingers crossed over here, crossed under there, body working as one with the the piano to produce an elegant sound that wove itself a web of beauty in the air.

Nothing could disrupt his concentration, something he prided himself in. Nothing, not even the little strangled cough from the corner of the room.

Slowly, as his eyes opened, he turned his shimmering emerald gaze to the far wall, his expression remaining unchanged. "What," he inquired, "you don't like my music?" He spoke softly, as to not overpower the the song.

Another choking cough followed his question, mixed with a growl of frustration. Raina's hands grasped desperately at the blade in her gut, not caring as it sliced deep into her palms. It was her attempt to dislodge the metal from both the wall and her stomach. Unfourtunately for her, it was stuck quite solidly to both, and she knew only the crazed General playing the piano could remove it. She snarled more at him, as if it would do her any good.

Without disturbing the rhythm and flow of his song, Sephiroth's smile grew as he spoke. "Something wrong?"

Raina's snarling grew in volume with each tug she made with her hands, until her snarls were screams. Her eyes glowed furiously with hatred and rage as she lifted her head to face Sephiroth, not ceasing her yells. Just for one moment, her screaming drowned out the sound of the piano as she continued to struggle against the wall. "You sick fuck!"

The ex-General's expression turned offended, eyes widening in shock and anger as he gave her an admonishing expression. "Shh, quiet. I'm not done yet." His expression softened a bit, but his cat-like emerald eyes never left the impaled woman.

Strangely, Raina fell silent, mainly from her disbelief at this man in front of her. She shook her head, hands rising up from the blade to rub her upper arms, not caring that she was spreading the blood over her body. Chances were, she would end up dying here anyway, so what harm could it do? Slowly, a laugh began to spill from her lips, laughing in just as crazy a manner as Sephiroth appeared.

"You're insane," she said, quiet. "You're crazy." She laughed more, her features ever unchanging. "You're abso-fucking-lutely off your rocker."

Her words had no effect on the silver-haired man. His smile shifted simply from softness to knowing, his gaze turning away from her for the time being. He stared at the wall instead, jade gaze glazing over as he remained in a silent reverie for a moment. There was a silence to meet them, filled only with the sound of hammers upon piano wire, and the sickening sounds of Raina attempting to pull the Masamune free of her gut.

"You were in SOLDIER, weren't you?" Curious green eyes drifted back to the woman. "I could tell from the glow of your eyes. The sign of those infused with Mako."

Raina stopped her struggling, the glowing eyes that Sephiroth spoke of lifting to regard the insane man. "I was one of the few women able to enter, _General, sir_." She spat the name with utter distaste and disgust, then physically performed the act, her blood mottled saliva making it just short of the piano leg.

A soft laugh slid around the notes in the air. "There were only ever seven women in all of SOLDIER."

"I could have been a commanding officer, maybe even more, if I hadn't been a woman."

If Sephiroth had heard her statement, he didn't show it, not really paying much mind to her problems of the past. As a speaking silence settled between them again, the song began to pick up in fury, although still retaining its level of beauty, as the ex-General's features saddened a bit - if, in fact, he could be sad.

"I could have been a world-renowned concert pianist, had Hojo not been so concerned with making me the most powerful fighter and General to ever grace this planet." He frowned a bit as the song continued to fall deeper into its fury. "I could have been the world's best, perfect pianist, but Hojo didn't care. He only wanted me to learn simply to serve his own purposes."

The anger that slid into Sephiroth's voice mingled well with the song, as it reached its height. Notes decorated the air in a quick, fast paced rhythm before stopping completely. Everything went silent for a moment in time, before the music picked up again, as soft and as elegant as before. The contented smile returned to Sephiroth's lips.

By this time, Raina had given up her struggle, accepting the fact that she was bound to die here today, albeit rather grudgingly. She lay slumped against the wall, having no option but to listen to the crazed General speak, and feel her life slip from her grasp so easily, just as slick and wet as the blood in her hands. Looking between her hands and the General at the piano, she settled to watch him, her glowing gaze finally beginning to fade, slow and steady, a light barely visible in the darkness.

She was going to die soon, they both knew it, and very well. She was a SOLDIER, she had been altered with Mako to withstand substantial amounts of damage. But not even her chemically enhanced body could live through extreme blood loss, not like this. Besides, he was bound to kill her anyway; he had annhilated the rest of the town. But she couldn't just let him kill her like he had everyone else; she had a warrior's pride, and would die fighting.

This was her punishment for her audacity.

"What's your purpose in doing this? What do you have against everyone?" Her eyes fluttered a bit as she looked to Sephiroth for an answer. The beginnings of dizziness pulled at her consciousness and thought, and she knew what that meant.

That eerie, innocent smile returned. His eyes sparkled with a new light, perhaps amusement, shining so brightly in the inky blackness of the room as if they were draining the very light from Raina's.

"The planet has called forth one of her children and seeks out the other," he replied, eyes shutting as he began to sway with the music again. "She calls forth her children to purge humanity from her. They hurt her, and she wishes them away forever." His expression turned almost loving, the smile turning fond, all for the planet. "And so as her child, I am fulfilling her wish. As such, I must seek out the other..."

Raina groaned softly. The pain and the damage were finally taking their toll, catching up to her. It almost seemed unbelievable, that the planet would want humanity gone... But she was going to die anyway, so why think about it? "... who?"

The ex-General's expression shifted to one of smug contentment. "Cloud Strife."

If the name registered at all to Raina, she made no effort to show it. Fatigue and pain finally began to rack her body, the glow in her eyes so very dim as they slid shut. She let out another pitiful groan as her body slumped more against the wall, hands grasping weakly at her stomach. But she smiled as the diziness became unbearable, even as darkness invaded her mind and thoughts. At least she would die to the sweet sound of classical piano.

_You picked the perfect song, didn't you? Yes, you did._

In no time at all, Sephiroth brought the song to an ending, a simple and haunting chord lingering in the air, then silence. He sighed, shut the lid on the piano and stood, turning to peer out into the night, his elegantly carved features accented by the silver moonlight. By that time, the flames that had consumed the town had begin to die down, leaving broad stacks of black smoke to rise in the shimmering sky.

"You can't hide for long, Strife. We're coming, and you'll bow down to us."

For not the first time that night, his smile grew malicious and dark, as he stepped away from the window, across the room to where Raina's limp, dead body hung. He grasped the handle of the Masamune, and with one, effortless pull, yanked the blade free of both inhibitors, the thump of a limp body hitting the floor following moments later. He didn't even give it a second glance as he sheathed the blade on his back, and quickly exited the room, having other things to attend to.

The planet called to him, and he would answer.

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A/N: Spawned from an idea between a good friend of mine (on here as Chibi Nataku) and myself, back in our RP days. It was a great idea. I miss those days.


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